


And The Hunger

by Tacodestroyeravenger



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, fillin a prompt, i guess I'll never write flynn, somethin I wrote on tumblr a long time ago, spoopy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:00:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25395793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tacodestroyeravenger/pseuds/Tacodestroyeravenger
Summary: I got a tumblr prompt: “It hurts, the hungry it hurts.”
Relationships: Cassandra Cillian & Ezekiel Jones & Jacob "Jake" Stone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	And The Hunger

**Author's Note:**

> I think the prompt had a typo and was supposed to be “the hunger hurts” but I much preferred the liberty of creating a spooky creature. Enjoy!

“It hurts,” Ezekiel moaned from the back of the group. The thief was holding his stomach and slowly walking as he complained to his companions.  
  
“I’m so hungry!” The complaint echoed in the thickly wooded area. And of course they would be stuck in a large forest with no way to contact Jenkins or Eve or Flynn. They were on their own and without supplies.  
  
Cassandra groaned and Jacob threw his hands in the air from the front of the group.  
  
“We know, Jones! Just shut up!” Jacob burst out, his frustration at their current predicament coming through. His own stomach growled in protest and he pointedly ignored it.  
  
“Jacob,” Cassandra grabbed his arm and halted their progress. “We can’t go on much longer. We need to rest. Ezekiel is on the verge of collapsing.” She tilted her head in the direction of the weak thief.  
  
“But stopping makes us lose daylight and–” Cassandra glared at him. “Fine. We rest for a minute.”  
  
Ezekiel was already sitting on a nearby log, having flopped on it as soon as they stopped walking. Cassandra went over and sat next to him and Jacob got a good look at them.  
  
Ezekiel did look exhausted, a frown on his face as he wrapped his arms around his rumbling stomach. Cassandra wasn’t too different, though she looked more tired than hungry. Jacob could imagine he looked similar to them.  
  
But they were Librarians; they could handle miles of woods, right? No matter the hunger that they were experiencing, they could handle it. From what little he knew of his friends, he knew they would get through it. Ezekiel was a thief so he likely was used to the feeling of hunger. Jacob tried not to think too hard about what that implied. He knew that Ezekiel would rather throw himself off a cliff than be pitied.  
  
Now Cassandra on the other hand likely never had much of an appetite anyways, so he assumed she would be okay. Jacob knew for himself he would make it out fine, experience with long workdays and no breaks back home making him prepared.  
  
That and it wasn’t their stomachs he was worried about.  
  
“Why aren’t we thirsty?” Jacob suddenly asked, the danger signals flashing in his mind. He motioned all around him. “We’ve been walking for what? Four hours?”  
  
Cassandra’s eyebrows furrowed in thought. She seemed to be doing math, but it was hard to tell.  
  
Ezekiel just scoffed. “We should be thankful that we’re not.” Jacob thought he just sounded like he was sulking now.  
  
“Four hours and thirty-nine minutes.” Cassandra answered in a tired voice.  
  
Jacob slowly turned in a circle, scanning the woods around them. Something wasn’t right. At a constant pace, walking for four hours in the terrain of the woods should’ve had them wanting at least a small cup of water.  
  
“Something’s not right.” Stone voiced his thoughts out loud.  
  
“I know. I’m starving!” Ezekiel complained in a slightly pained voice.  
  
Cassandra looked between her two friends, concern and puzzlement on her face. She tried comforting the groaning Ezekiel.  
  
Jacob ignored the soft assurances of Cassandra as he watched the sunset, the feeling of unease only growing in his chest. The shadows of the trees expanded and elongated eerily, making Stone move closer to his friends. He took notice of how quickly the light of the day was snuffing by the dark hand of the night.  
  
“We need a fire.” Stone turned back to the thief and synesthete. He couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable they looked huddled up together on that log. Starting a fire became priority number one as he saw a slight tremble in their bodies now that they stopped moving and the sun was going down. That and it would help for protection. Problem was: Jacob couldn’t see any useable firewood in the area. Which meant…  
  
He would have to leave them alone to find any.  
  
Stone swallowed thickly. Cassandra and Ezekiel were tough people. They weren’t chosen as Librarians for nothing, he knew. But with Eve gone and the uneasy feeling he had stabbing his chest with each breath, Jacob had a hard time battling the decision to leave them. He knew that it wasn’t his responsibility to take care of them, but he couldn’t help himself. Ezekiel and Cassandra have saved him countless times, so he knew that he wasn’t alone in that sentiment.  
  
“I’m gonna get firewood. You stay here, together, and rest.” There, that sounded casual and not like a pleading demand to be safe or a worried mother.  
  
Stone internally groaned. He was becoming Eve.  
  
Cassandra stared at him with that knowing look of concern that he’d last seen when he left a control room in a facility overrun with werewolves.  
  
Ezekiel was too exhausted to protest his leaving.  
  
Jacob took the gift of their silence and quickly jogged away from them, searching the ground for viable wood.  
  
The first trip was to acquire enough firewood to just start a fire. Jacob was glad that it took minimal effort to get the fire going.  
  
It was during his last trip to get enough wood to last them through the night that his heart stopped in a shocked terror.  
  
Screams.  
  
Stone was running before the firewood he’d dropped even touched the ground. Heart pounding, he ran back towards his friends, but tripped when something grabbed his ankle and pulled. He landed hard on a tree stump and it felt like the air in his lungs was compressed for a moment. His chest finally came back to life with a painful inhale. Rolling off of it and on his back with a startled groan, he blinked a few times to adjust his eyes. He couldn’t.  
  
Everything was dark.  
  
Jacob’s heart pounded. A sharp pain stabbed his abdomen.  
  
Another scream.  
  
He pushed himself up and continued on as fast as he could in the darkness.  
  
Jacob skidded to a halt when the light abruptly returned and he saw what was happening.  
  
A dark shadow in the vague form of a large and unnatural human, practically loomed over the unconscious body of Ezekiel as Cassandra cried out from her hunched position beside him.  
  
The fire was quickly dying, and as it waned, the shadow grew.  
  
Jacob lunged for a stick in the fire, his right hand burning from getting too close, and he used the small torch to slash at the shadow.  
  
The shadow was at least partially corporeal as it started to burn when the fire came near it. The black form sizzled in the places where the fire touched it, creating holes in the unknown creature. A screech tore through the air and the vague shape fell to its knees as it burned away completely.  
  
Stone didn’t waste any time. He quickly grabbed some more wood from one of the dwindling piles he got earlier and put it on the fire. It was lucky that his only defense turned out to be the creatures weakness.  
  
Jacob built the fire large enough with most of the wood he had planned to save for later. It was only when he felt it was safe enough to leave alone for now that he immediately knelt next to his friends.  
  
Ezekiel was still unconscious but he was covered in sweat and trembling. Cassandra wasn’t too different but she was aware and awake, if only barely. Her arms were tightly wrapped around her middle.  
  
She whimpered.  
  
“Cassie.” Jacob slowly put his left hand on her face and brought her unblinking gaze to meet his concerned one. “Cass,” he tried again.  
  
“Jacob?” Her tentative voice finally exposed recognition and he could’ve jumped for joy if the circumstances were different. And if he were the kind of person to jump for joy.  
  
But he wasn’t, so he simply gave her a small smile.  
  
“Thought I’d lost ya there for a minute. Are you okay?” She bit her lip.  
  
Ezekiel moaned. “It hurts.”  
  
Jacob tried not to sound too relieved at the sound of the thief’s voice as he turned to Cassandra. “Cass I need you to do something for me. Can you–”  
  
Cassandra’s eyes widened. “Jacob behind you!”  
  
Stone turned just in time to see the shadows peel themselves away from the general black void of the encompassing darkness. There were two this time around and Jacob quickly grabbed the makeshift torch he’d used earlier, wincing at his aggravated burn on his right hand. With no time to switch hands, he swung at the first one that got close enough, and he heard the familiar sizzling.  
  
“Cassandra! Grab a torch and defend Ezekiel!” Jacob spared a glance back at the redhead and was relieved to see she was already doing what he asked.  
  
But she was weak and the shadows were closing in.  
  
Cassandra fell once more to her knees, feebly using the last of her strength to defend against the looming shadow creature.  
  
Jacob swung viciously at the creature he was fighting and turned away before the sizzle reached his ears.  
  
“Cass!” He shouted.  
  
Anger boiled inside him, much fiercer than whatever these creatures were doing to attack them, and lunged in front of Cassandra and Ezekiel to take on the shadow.  
  
“Stone!”  
  
Instinctively turning, he saw the darkness quiver as three more shadows emerged, and they headed straight for Cassandra and Ezekiel.  
  
Jacob felt a sharp pain in his abdomen once more, forgetting about the shadow he was battling, and he turned back to find it gone.  
  
A shiver ran down his spine.  
  
Something wasn’t right.  
  
Ezekiel screamed.  
  
Stone spun around just in time to see a shadow creature touch the thief and be absorbed into his body.  
  
His blood ran cold.  
  
Cassandra cried out as a shadow touched her and disappeared.  
  
Stone was frozen and felt another pain from inside him.  
  
But he knew what it meant now.  
  
Ignoring the shadows behind him, he stumbled towards his friends.  
  
The shadows were closing in on them. He felt another touch his shoulder from behind and the stabbing pain in his abdomen accompanied right after.  
  
Jacob fell to his knees in front of Ezekiel and Cassandra. His friends were practically catatonic.  
  
He was failing them.  
  
His arm burned.  
  
Stone grabbed the edge of a burning stick and hurled it at a shadow closing in on Cassandra. Picking up a torch, he swung it wildly to keep away the darkness. The flame was the only light.  
  
Light in the darkness.  
  
His arm was ablaze.  
  
He rolled up his sleeve to see the tattoo glowing like a fresh brand.  
  
Jacob inhaled abruptly as his veins felt like they contained liquid lighting. The pit of his stomach was a ball of fire and he would’ve screamed if he could. His vision started to fade and he desperately hoped Cassandra and Ezekiel would make it.  
  
The last thing he saw was white light.  
  
Then darkness.  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
  
“Stone?”  
  
Jacob opened his eyes to see Eve hovering above him, tapping his cheek.  
  
“Baird.” His voice was practically gravel. “What happened?” Jacob squinted and saw daylight and trees past Eve.  
  
The forest.  
  
Jacob bolted up quickly, groaning when his stomach clenched and his body protested harshly at the movement. Eve seemed to translate his question properly.  
  
“Hey, take it easy. Cassandra and Ezekiel are fine. They are right there-” Eve pointed to the two half dazed looking Librarians.“-and in one piece.”  
  
Jacob sighed and rubbed his temples. “That’s good.”  
  
“Yes well it won’t be if we don’t get them back to the Library soon.” Jenkins came in sight with a bottle in his hands. “I’ve been able to hold them off with a warding potion, but we need to get them out of you two as soon as possible.”  
  
“Them? The creatures?” Cassandra’s weak voice asked as she hesitantly got to her feet.  
  
“Two? Not three?” Eve caught the detail.  
  
“Wraiths, I’m afraid. They feed off of hunger and desire and need.” Jenkins held out a supporting arm for the redhead. “And yes, Colonel Baird, you heard me correctly. Mr. Stone does not need my help.”  
  
“What? Why?” Jacob’s puzzlement was expressed in drawn brows.  
  
“Your soul burned them out of you, a self preservation measure I’m sure from the linking soul magic on your arm.” Jenkins pointed to the ink symbols exposed on Jacob’s forearm, red around the edges like a brand.  
  
“Why did they target us?” Ezekiel changed the subject suddenly as he still sat on the ground, looking pale and almost sickly.  
  
Jenkins sent him a level gaze. “The only life for many miles…don’t be mistaken that you are exempt from basic human emotions, Mr. Jones. Anyone is susceptible to attack.”  
  
Ezekiel lowered his eyes.  
  
“You heard him, let’s get moving,” Eve said as she held a hand out to Jacob.  
  
Ezekiel got up unsteadily, turning green and promptly bending over and losing the contents of his stomach.  
  
Jacob scrunched his face in disgust. “I got it. Help him.” He motioned over to the pale thief but Baird was already halfway there.  
  
Jacob shook his head and moved to stand, but let out a hiss as his right hand pressed on the ground and his chest spasmed in pain.  
  
Glancing up to see if anyone noticed his moment of pain, he was relieved to see everyone occupied.  
  
Stone stood with what he hoped was minimal looking effort.  
  
Staying on his feet was harder.  
  
“Ezekiel?” Eve rubbed the thief’s back. “Why is he worse than Cassandra?” She wondered aloud.  
  
“Maybe because he feels more need than Ms. Cillian, therefore the Wraiths targeted him first.”  
  
“But he will be fine?” Cassandra sounded like she was trying to make the question a statement.  
  
“Yes, if we get him cleansed, as with you,” he told Cassandra.  
  
Jacob felt his gut clench with a different sensation.  
  
Worry.  
  
“How far away is a door?” Stone asked and Jenkins glanced up from his gaze over Cassandra and Ezekiel.  
  
“It is a five minute walk.”  
  
“Then we better hurry.” Eve supported a barely conscious Ezekiel.  
  
Jacob stumbled forward, seeing the look Eve sent his way.  
  
“I’m fine,” he mumbled and stood straighter in defiance, even if his body screamed at him for it.  
  
Jenkins nodded and led the way, supporting Cassandra as she became weaker. Eve was behind them, practically carrying Ezekiel at this point. Jacob brought up the rear with the argument that they needed someone to watch their back just in case something happened.  
  
They made it to the Annex with time to spare.  
  
It wasn’t until Cassandra and Ezekiel were safely de-Wraithed and laid on their own cots, that Jacob breathed normally again. He watched them sleep as he leaned against the center table, reassuring himself that they were okay.  
  
“You saved them, you know.” Eve came to stand next to him, her shoulder softly bumping his. “Even if your light didn’t kill the rest of the Wraiths, which it did, we still would never have found you if not for the large magical signature of bright energy that came from you.” She poked his chest. “Your soul saved them. So take the win. Oh and get some sleep.”


End file.
